Trigger
by ZombieCatTookMyPudding
Summary: (Requested by mrdbznarutofan.) While waiting for a sick Ferb to get better, Isabella offers to take Phineas to a hypnosis show. But after she's chosen as the "volunteer", Phineas decides to mess with the post-hypnotic trigger the hypnotist left her...(one-sided Isabella x Phineas; two-shot.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Phineas and Ferb,_. All rights go to their respective owners. Also, this was a request by mrdbznarutofan, so credit goes to him for the main plot.**

* * *

"Hey, Phineas," Isabella walked up to the redheaded boy, sitting underneath the tree in the backyard alone. "What'cha doin?"

"Ferb's not feeling so great today, so I'm thinking of something to do while I wait for him to get better."

"I saw this poster for a hypnotist show in town today. Maybe you'd like to go?"

Phineas held the poster, studying it for a moment, then smiled. "Ferb, I...oh yeah...Isabella, I know what we're going to do, today!"

* * *

After splitting the price for each of them to have tickets, Phineas and Isabella were lucky enough to get seats in the front row.

"Welcome one and all to the show of the one and only, Great Hypnodini!" A tall, thin, tan man with a top hat, matching suit, and elegant mustache appeared from a puff of smoke.

The audience 'oohed' and cheered at his entrance.

"Wow, I wonder what kind of trap door or special effects they used to pull that off," Phineas thought aloud.

"Now then, in order for my magic to work, I'll need a volunteer."

Several people in the audience, mostly children, teenagers, and young adults, were already calling out for him to pick one of them.

"Hmm...let's see."

His eyes resting on Isabella, he extended his long arm forward.

"How about YOU, young lady?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Come on, Isabella!" Phineas urged. "It'll be fun!"

"Well...I guess this is a chance for me to get my 'Hypnosis Subject' badge."

"That's the spirit!" Walking up to the stage, Isabella had one arm folded across her stomach shyly.

"What's your name?" Hypnodini asked her.

"I'm Isabella," she smiled, feeling slightly less self-conscious.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hypnodini."

"Likewise! Tell me, have you ever been hypnotized before?"

"No, this is my first time." After a small pause she added. "I'm a little excited...and nervous."

"What do you know about hypnosis?" he asked.

"Hmmm." Isabella gave it some thought. "First you move something like a locket in front of their eyes and make them sleepy and relaxed. Then you tell them what to do while they're asleep, and when you snap your fingers, they wake up and they're different."

"Well, that's _one_ way to do it. My way's a little different: it's called 'rapid induction' hypnosis."

"'Rapid induction hypnosis'?" Isabella parroted.

"That's right! Now, all I need you to do is to be willing for me to alter your state. In a moment when your state shifts, just for your safety, I'd like you to be aware that you'll stay standing up, no matter how much you relax. I'll even help you hold your balance. That's okay, right?"

"Yep, I think so."

"Great! We'll be doing comedic suggestions. Any other questions?" he asked.

"...If I don't want to do something, I can just say so, right?"

"Absolutely! But I'd probably have to wake you up first." He turned to the audience. "Now, remember, folks, if you don't wake someone up from hypnosis properly, they may be disoriented, uncomfortable, and in some cases, even get headaches afterwards."

"Oooh…" the audience responded in unison.

Taking Isabella's hand, Hypnodini gently shook it up and down, like a little bit more than a handshake.

"Is that okay? Comfortable enough for you?"

"Mm-hm." Not only was Isabella's arm looser, her general body stance became more visibly relaxed.

"Take a deep breath; in through your nose, out through your mouth."

She did as he instructed.

"Now that you're all loosened up, I'd like you to just focus on me..." they took a moment to lock eyes. "...take another deep breath..." she did, "...and-" suddenly, as if in one movement, he pulled her forward, her face towards the ground, her head resting on his free arm, and his hand resting on her shoulder to keep her from falling over. "-sleep, Isabella." It was so quick and so natural, it was as if they moved as one in that moment.

It was soon met with cheering of awe from its spectators. Isabella barely noticed, she was too busy being stuck in her trance. "Just let yourself go; just let yourself relax into the ground at that point, for that spot." She became even more relaxed as she followed his instructions. "There we go, just loosening, just feeling easier, just letting go." Looking at the audience, he added: "and now we get to the _fun_ part!"

"Oooh…" the audience responded, accompanied by some light applause.

"What would we like to see our friend, Isabella, do, hm? Any suggestions?"

Again several hands went up into the air, Phineas' included.

"Alright, how about you, in the front row wearing the striped shirt?"

Phineas was sure that meant him. "When she wakes up, her feet'll be glued to the floor!" he suggested.

"Good choice!" Hypnodini commended him. HIs voice a bit softer and calmer, he continued, "when you wake up, you'll find that your feet are glued to the floor. "You'll be very confused by this and try to move, but it won't work and that will get frustrating. Until I say, 'release' - and then you'll be able to walk again. "I'm going to count to five. With each number, you will become more awake and alert. Five...four...three...two...one."

Slowly standing up straight, Isabella's blue eyes opened, looking around. "Alright, now how about you try taking a step towards me?" Hypnodini suggested.

Isabella tried to pick up her foot and move towards him, but it just seemed...stuck. "What the-?"

Her reaction, in addition to continuing to try, but failing to move her feet, envoked laughter from the audience. Grunting in frustration, she bent and unbent her knees, as if trying to jump away, but still she found she was stuck.

"What do you say, folks?" Hypnodini turned towards the audience as he spoke. "Think we've messed with her enough?"

His question was met with cheering and applause.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Then he looked over at the wiggling, squirming Isabella. "Release!"

"WOAH!" Isabella fell on her stomach at the command.

As the magician helped her up, Isabella found that once again, she was able to move her feet, much to the audience's amazement. "Do more! Do more!" A little boy from the back of the audience called out.

"Whattaya say, Isabella, do you feel up for it?" Hypnodini raised an eyebrow playfully.

Her eyes looking over an encouraging audience, her eyes finally rested on Phineas, giving her a thumbs up. "Sure, I'd be happy to; this is kind of fun!"

* * *

Throughout different rounds of hypnosis, Hypnodini made Isabella believe she was invisible, seeing everyone in their underwear, and becoming a tree, he was ready to finish off the show with one last act.

"Sleep." Now it seemed all too natural for Isabella to fall into his arms, awaiting his command. "Here, we're going to do something a bit different: a post-hypnotic suggestion!"

"Oooh…" came the spectators' response.

"When you wake up, whenever someone pokes you in the forehead, you'll go back into a trance. This will last for the rest of the day. When I finish counting to 'five' you'll wake up again. One...two...three...four...five."

Slowly standing up straight again, Isabella hadn't remembered what the new instructions were, so she looked around, as if trying to find an answer. Her thoughts were interrupted by one last round of applause for the two performers, making her both smile and bow along with him.


	2. Chapter 2

"That was great, Isabella!" Phineas exclaimed. Now that the show was over, the two planned to go back to his house and figure out something else to do. "What was being hypnotized like? Was it like you were brainwashed?"

"No, actually, it felt more like I was taking a nap. I was kind of half-asleep, but I could _sort of_ hear his suggestions. When I woke up, I felt like I really was in a different state of mind! I actually believed all those things, like being a tree and that my feet were stuck to the floor."

"Cool!"

* * *

Now at the Flynn-Fletcher household, Phineas and Isabella were given snacks of peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches and lemonade, courtesy of Phineas' mom. While being hypnotized to do all sorts of silly things made Isabella work up quite an appetite, Phineas barely even touched his. Instead, he looked deep in thought.

"Something on your mind, Phineas?" Isabella asked.

"Huh?" he was a bit dazed, coming out from a deep realm of thinking. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about this post-hypnotic suggestion that Hypnodini gave you. Do you remember it?"

"Uh...hm..." Isabella had to think about it before she could answer. "...kind of. Something about poking?"

"If you get poked in the forehead, you go back into a trance," Phineas confirmed before finally bothering to take a bite of his sandwich. "I was wondering if you'd be okay trying it out when we're done eating."

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Sure! It sounds like fun!"

* * *

"Ready?" Phineas asked her. The two were now standing in his backyard, beneath the tree. "When you are, Phineas!"

"...Boop," Phineas poked her in the forehead, soon to leap forward, almost unprepared to catch his friend as she fell into his shoulder. "Phew, that was close," Phineas said. "Now, let's see...what should we try first...? Oh! I know! When you wake up, you won't be able to remember your name."

After Phineas counted to 'five' Isabella woke up.

"Hi! How are you feeling?"

"Pretty okay, I guess," she said, shrugging.

"Quick question: what's your name?"

"My name...?" she asked, confused. "That's a silly question, Phineas. I should be able to know my own _name._ "

"What is it, then?" Her eyes widened as her cheeks heated up in embarrassment.

"My name is...my name..." she looked around, as if there was something that would help her remember. "My, my name is..." _Darn it! Why can't I remember my name?_ she thought. "Hold on, it's...it's on the tip of my tongue, I know it is..." she mumbled, flustered. She forgot her own name! Seriously, who _does_ that?

Phineas held back a snicker. He didn't want to make Isabella feel bad like she was being made fun of, but this was still pretty funny. "Your name is...?" he asked, beaming.

"My name is...I give up."

"Hi, 'I give up'," Phineas shook her hand. "I'm Phineas."

Isabella knew she shouldn't have found that funny, but somehow, she did. But, then again...any joke your crush makes tend to be funnier than anyone else's. "No, I give up on trying to remember my name."

"Okay, okay, let's put you out of your misery and try something else." Poking her in the forehead, Phineas was ready to stop Isabella from falling as she leaned onto him. "When you wake up..." Phineas paused for a moment, trying to think of the next command, "...you think you're going to be Perry!"

Once Phineas counted to five to wake her up, Isabella suddenly dropped onto her hands and knees. Her big blue eyes derped in different directions, and a chittering sound emitted from her throat.

Phineas laughed as he watched her crawl idly around the yard, before deciding to curl up and lay down next to him. It was funny to see how she did such a good impression of his pet platypus, but then again, Perry _was_ a platypus: they didn't do much.

Already having another idea pop into his head he poked Isabella in the forehead again, making her collapse.

Kneeling down to her level, he whispered, "when you hear somebody say 'freeze' you're going to be frozen in whatever position you're in at the moment, until somebody says 'unfreeze'."

Just as Phineas woke her up, one Isabella's fellow Fireside Girl troops Ginger stopped by the fence.

"Oh hi, Ginger!" Isabella greeted her, standing up.

"Hey, Isabella. You're not even in your uniform yet?"

"No, why?"

"We were going to work towards getting our Advanced Yoga Poses Patches in an hour, remember?"

"Oh no! I totally forgot about that! Um, okay! I'll meet you at the lodge soon. All I need to do is run home and get my uniform."

"Okay, see you there." Once Ginger was out of earshot, Isabella sighed.

"What's wrong, Isabella?" Phineas asked.

"I want to get this patch, but I'm _horrible_ at yoga."

"Maybe I can help you practice," the redhead suggested.

"Really?" "Sure! It's the least I can do after you do some crazy stuff after I poke you in the forehead."

"Thanks, Phineas! You're the best!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "Stay there: I'll be right back."

* * *

"Okay, let's see..." Isabella had briefly gone back to her house to grab her official Fireside Girls' handbook. Sucking her breath in, it didn't seem like she could much of these, especially in a skirt.

"How about this one?" Phineas asked. He pointed to a picture of a female outline with one leg on the ground, the other high up on her thigh, and her arms in the air, hands clasped together. It shared two labels beneath it: 'Vrksasana', and 'Tree'. "This one looks kind of easy."

"I guess we need to start somewhere..."

"I'll walk you through it:" Phineas started, picking up the book. "Hold onto your foot, and lift it up so it touches your thigh."

Isabella tried to do as he instructed, but struggled to balance on one leg.

Looking up, Phineas walked over to her so she could hold onto his shoulder for balance.

She struggled to get her foot to stay high on her leg, and decided to settle for it resting against her knee.

"Now, put your hands together, and slowly lift them up into the air."

Isabella did that, and tried to lift them in the air, slowly beginning to wobble. "Hey! I'm doing it!" But just as she said it, her wobbling got worse.

Just before she was about to fall, Phineas blurted out: "freeze!"

Suddenly, her wobbling stopped. It was like she was frozen in place.

Phineas blinked. He was always a fast thinker, but he didn't know he could think _that_ quickly. Walking over, he helped her better adjust her position so it matched what was in the book. "...Unfreeze," Phineas said with a smile.

Isabella held her balance for a few seconds before returning her foot to the ground.

* * *

Finding the secret to help Isabella better her balance, they soon used that same hypnosis command to practice not just with the tree pose with other foot, the chair, downward-facing dog, and the bridge.

"I think I have time to practice one more," Isabella said.

"How about 'dance'? That one doesn't look too bad."

"Sure! Okay..." she looked at the guidebook, reading its instructions. Setting it down on the grass, she grabbed her foot. "And then I just do this..." Lifting her arm on the same side up, "and...lean forward..." her voice was softer as she strained a bit to lean forward.

"Freeze!" While Phineas helped her lean further, Isabella felt her leg beginning to shake. Was she really losing balance? No, she couldn't have been...she had been hypnotized to 'freeze' on command. "Unfreeze!" Phineas watched her try to balance, but noticed she was having trouble. "You okay?"

"Yep! I'm fine!" Well, not _completely_ fine...she felt like one wrong shift, and she could have ended up falling on her face. Carefully standing upright again, she grabbed her other foot. "Here we go..." she lifted her free arm, "with the other one..." and began to lean forward. It was then she began an uphill battle against gravity, one that was short-lived, and would soon have a victor.

"Freeze!"

But right as Phineas said it, Isabella lost her balance and threw her arms around him for support. They looked at each other, silent for a moment, before they both laughed. Even hypnosis commands couldn't be perfect all of the time.

Blushing, Isabella realized she was stuck hugging him until he said 'unfreeze'. Not that she was complaining. She could have hugged him forever if she weren't so short on time.

"Okay, unfreeze." Phineas said.

Sighing softly, Isabella nestled into his shoulder.

"...Unfreeze." No response. "...You can let go now."

"Huh? Oh," she broke the embrace. "Sorry."

"Maybe I could come with to your yoga-thingy," Phineas suggested, standing up.

"I appreciate the offer, but that might be considered cheating." Picking up her book, she headed out the gate. "Thanks for your help though, Phineas."

"Sure! Hey, maybe you could come back afterwards and we can try out that trigger some more."

"I..." her pinkish cheeks began to turn a bit darker. "I should really get going."

Hurrying down the sidewalk, she left Phineas knitting his eyebrows in confusion. "...Was it something I said?" he asked aloud.

* * *

 _Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Isabella internally scolded herself. Why couldn't she just tell Phineas how she felt about him? It seemed like every time she got close, she would just chicken out.

But, she did have to get that Emotional Bravery Patch...she decided she'd tell him. She'd tell him someday...just not today.


End file.
